Night Watch
by Brit2
Summary: M/M Harper's introspective thoughts about a relationship that can never happen
1. Default Chapter

This is the very first fic I have ever submitted, feedback is welcome but please be gentle. It's very short but the first of a series, depends if anyone likes it whether I continue or not.  
  
TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Harper watches Tyr sleep. This was supposed to be Harper/Beka but a certain gentleman got into my head and wouldn't leave until I had written this.  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
  
  
Every night I hide in the crawl space above his room and watch him while he sleeps, he doesn't know that I do this; no one knows that I do it. Even Rommie has no idea, it wasn't difficult to override and block certain systems, not when you're a freakin genius like me.  
  
He would be horrified if he knew; he is the most masculine, the most aggressively heterosexual person on board. Even if he weren't he wouldn't look twice at me. I'm the mudfoot, he is the uber. I'm the annoying brash engineer, always trying to hit on the ladies. Little do they know that if one of them called my bluff I'd run a mile? It's an act I put on, my protective shield. I've been hurt and rejected so much in the past that his ultimate rejection would kill me.  
  
I'm ashamed when I remember the Nietzscheans raping me. My shame isn't because of what they did to me but because I enjoyed it and begged them for more. How would my friends feel about me if they knew that?  
  
He stirs in his sleep, uncovering his magnificent body, he is so beautiful, he has no idea of the effect he has on me. When he calls me 'boy' shivers run through me, he makes me breathless.  
  
I whisper the words he will never hear me say aloud. "I love you Tyr," I make my way back to my own quarters, to sleep and to hope that dreams of him will replace the nightmares, if only for one night. 


	2. Mornings are not good

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 2 Mornings are not good  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
Seamus Z Harper is not a morning person, oh I usually have no trouble getting out of bed, the nightmares I have on a regular basis ensure that I have no desire to linger in sleep any longer than necessary. But this particular morning I had been dreaming of him all night, now I know what you are thinking and you're wrong. Just innocent dreams of being together, being an accepted couple, no one being embarrassed or disgusted that two men are in a loving relationship. Anyway as I was saying this particular morning I didn't want to get up, didn't want the night to end and the day to start, so I stayed in bed longer than usual. I woke from a very pleasant doze to see Rommie standing over me, her expression, concerned. She asked me if I was ill, and when I answered that no I was good she began to tap her foot. I got the impression that she thought it was time that I was out of bed and working. I gave her the full boyish grin, "OK Rom doll, give me a chance, I'll just head for the shower and get dressed." She showed no sign of leaving, I smirked at her, "of course if you want to join me there's plenty of room for two." That usually got rid of her and true to form it worked this time.  
  
Once I'd finished in the bathroom I headed for the mess hall in search of the first caffeine shot of the day. I had a big decision to make, coffee or Sparky? He was there of course, did he hear my sharp intake of breath when I saw him, I hoped not, Beka gave me an odd look, but I turned the gasp into a cough and she turned away.  
  
He had obviously been working out, his skin glowed, that's the only way I can describe it. I inched past him to get to the fridge, trying to avoid contact with him, grabbed a Sparky and retreated. He looked at me and gave that little half smile of his, by the Divine it's a good job he doesn't realise the effect that has on me.  
  
I gulped the Sparky down and made one of my usual inane remarks about my genius being needed to tweak the slipstream drive and got up to leave. Once through the door I raced for the sanctuary of the engine room, the one place on board that I feel truly at home in. I spent a few moments remembering how he'd smiled at me and then set about working on the drive. 


	3. Tyr wonders

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 3 Tyr also has a POV  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
I know that he is watching me, during the night I hear him in the crawl space above my quarters. He thinks he is being quiet but my acute hearing has no trouble picking up the faint scrabbling sounds of his occupancy. I am not worried by this I do not believe that he wishes to harm me.  
  
The boy is paranoid; his eyes are on me all the time whenever we are together. He slides his gaze away if he sees me looking back at him. I know a little about his background, I know what my fellow Neitzscheans did to him. There is a cruel streak in my species; I suppose there is some perverted pleasure to be gained from the act of rape. It is a way of showing dominance; I have heard it referred to as a method to remind the kludges who is the master. I have never seen the need to humiliate inferior beings, I am certain of my superiority without having to prove it.  
  
I remember the first time I saw Harper, he was obviously a mudfoot, he had it written all over him. Undersized and sickly, poor genetic material, such creatures should not be allowed to procreate.  
  
The boy is clever, by his own admission a genius, I would not go that far, but I will admit that we would have been in trouble more than once if it hadn't been for his quick wits and even quicker fingers.  
  
He can be brave too, as he has shown on several occasions, I have a grudging admiration for him, and despite myself I am beginning to like him.  
  
He was staring at me again this morning in the mess hall, I heard him gasp when he saw me, he is either terrified of me or there is some other reason behind his odd behaviour in my presence. It sometimes seems that he enjoys being near me, the pupils of his eyes dilate and the pattern of his breathing changes when we are close to each other. If I didn't know better I would think he was attracted to me. The thought is amusing, Harper is always chasing females and he makes the most improper suggestions to Rommie,it is very unlikely that he is looking for a relationship with another male. 


	4. Confrontation

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 4 Confrontation  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
Thanks guys for the feed back – it is nice to know that people like what I am doing. Hope this chapter pleases you?  
  
This has to stop, he is driving me mad, I don't know which I find more annoying, his constant watching me while I sleep or the way he avoids me whenever we meet. At first I was amused but as the weeks have passed I am more irritated as each day goes by.  
  
It is strange that none of the other crewmembers has commented on his behaviour, perhaps they think he is acting normally. I have decided that I will speak to him and find out why he is doing this.  
  
The problem is that I can never get him alone; whenever we meet there is always at least one other person present. I don't wish to humiliate him by challenging his actions in front of his friends. I have visited the engine room when I know him to be working, he always has either Rommie or the Rommie hologram with him, and sometimes Trance is also there. When he is in his quarters the privacy lock is engaged, as is his door lock.  
  
I will have to wait for the chance, it is fortunate that patience is a Neitzschean virtue, I require all mine to deal with this. Is it fear or an infatuation? I don't know but I will find out.  
  
I don't have to wait much longer. Purely by chance we meet in one of the corridors. He tries to scuttle away but I am too quick for him, my superior genes allow me to move faster than he can. I have him pinned against the wall, my bone spurs against his neck. He looks like a small, frightened animal, his eyes unable to meet mine, he is looking frantically for a chance to escape.  
  
"Boy, you have some explaining to do. You seem to have a problem with my presence on board the Andromeda, what are you afraid of, that I will rape you, or is that what you would like me to do?"  
  
He looks at me with contempt, mingled with some other emotion, I recognise it as desire. I am not sure why I make my next move; our faces are so close together, almost touching. I kiss him passionately full on the lips, I feel him respond his lips parting, then he breaks away from me and runs.  
  
I am shocked by the wave of desire that runs through my body. 


	5. Running Scared

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 5 Running Scared  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
  
  
Why did he have to say that to me, why did he mention rape, what does he know? Why kiss me, he is mocking me. His kiss was the final humiliation, and I responded to it. I feel betrayed by him and yet I still love him, still yearn for him. Well Seamus Z you may be a genius but you are also freakin stupid.  
  
I lie on my bed and cry, I cry as I never did for my parents or my cousins, I cry for the end of a way of life, I cry because now I can't stay here with these people that I have come to look on as my friends, my family.  
  
Dylan mentioned that we would be docking at a drift pretty soon, a routine replenishment of supplies. I've made my plans, a list of parts needed, a request that I be the one to go and find them. I'll take the money and run, find myself a job, that won't be hard, there are always jobs for engineers, 'specially those who aren't too choosy about who they work for. I could be away back in space in a matter of hours.  
  
Have data port will travel, for hire one genius engineer, several owners not all of them careful. I can fix things you don't even know are broken yet. On the down side I've got a rubbish immune system but hey you should get a couple of years work out of me before it packs in.  
  
I try to act normally in the days before we dock, I can't avoid him of course but I think I do a fairly good job of appearing to be indifferent to him. He watches me closely to see if I will tell anyone what he did. A couple of times he looks as if he's going to speak to me. I make extra sure that I am never alone with him.  
  
I'm not sure if the others have noticed anything, Trance has asked me a couple of times if I'm feeling ill, I reassure her that I'm fine and she looks at me with a compassion that I'm not worthy of.  
  
Rommie must know, I'm pretty certain she won't say anything, we still go through our little routine, me trying to get in her pants, her knocking me back, it's all an act though, a show put on to deceive.  
  
Beka continues to give me those shrewd looks of hers, sometimes I think she is going to say something but she hasn't yet, well with any luck I'll soon be long gone.  
  
I think Rev suspects something too; funny he is the one that I feel most guilty about deceiving. The being on board that I should hate the most, is one of the ones that I'll miss the most.  
  
As for Dylan, well he's a good guy but hey lets face it, he's High Guard, nearly as self-interested as an uber. He cares about the Commonwealth and Andromeda, not necessarily in that order. I'm the person who keeps his ship sweet and that is the only reason he will miss me when I leave.  
  
Not long now until we reach our destination, I can't remember the last time I slept for more than a couple of hours, I'll be so glad when all this is over. 


	6. No Happy Ever After

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: R  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 6 Resolution – Warning character death – I am working on an alternative ending so don't despair.  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
That boy is impossible; he was told that Dylan wanted to leave the Drift as quickly as possible. He insisted on going alone to pick up engineering supplies, muttering something about a contact that would only deal with him.  
  
I've tried to speak to him, he avoids me, and he spends all his time locked in the machine shop or in the engine room. He hardly eats or sleeps. I can see by the way the others look at me that they blame me for his condition. Each of them in turn has told me to sort the problem out. I don't think they know what exactly the problem is, except for Rommie of course. She has known everything from the beginning, Harper may be a genius but even he can't block knowledge from a sentient ship.  
  
Beka is outwardly furious when he fails to return. However, I can see the underlying worry in her face and hear it in her voice. Dylan will not leave without one of his crewmembers that is an attitude that he will pay dearly for one day, although in this case I agree with him.  
  
Trance came rushing into the command deck to tell us that Harper's belongings were missing; she had a flexi that he'd left for her. He hadn't recorded much, just how sorry he was to let everyone down and a request not to look for him. Of course look for him is exactly what we did.  
  
It was fate that I should be the one to find him. We will never be sure what happened to him probably robbed for the money he was carrying. He was huddled in a filthy alley. There was too much blood surrounding him, some of it was obviously alien, the boy had put up a fight, but most of it was his. When I saw the dreadful wound in his chest I was sure that he was already dead. I picked him up and as I cradled him in my arms he groaned and his eyelids fluttered. I whispered to him telling him how sorry I was, I doubt if he could hear me though. I raced back to Andromeda with him, straight to the medical deck. I was hoping that Trance could perform a miracle.  
  
She examined him and looked up at me shaking her head. She could do nothing for him except make him as pain free and comfortable as possible. We decided to take turns to sit with him; if he woke up he wouldn't be alone. I was there when he opened his eyes, despite the drugs that Trance had given him he was obviously still in a great deal of pain and very scared. He knew he was dying, he asked me to tell him the truth and I did. I also told him again that I was sorry. I went to call the others but he stopped me. He asked me to put my arms round him and I could not refuse. He settled against me with a sigh. He tried to speak but instead coughed deeply, painfully, a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.  
  
He still struggled to speak and I leant forward to hear his words, his voice was weak and I strained to make out what he was saying.  
  
"I love you Tyr," he sinks back exhausted.  
  
"I know boy, I know," I answered him, I stroked his face gently, "I love you too Seamus." I don't think I've ever called him that before. I can see that my words gave him comfort.  
  
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, very soon his laboured breathing stopped. I continued to hold him until the others arrived. I looked down at him he had only been dead a few minutes but already the pain and fear of the past hours had left his face. He looked peaceful and very young.  
  
I am Tyr Anasazi of the Kodiak pride, I am a Neitchszean and we don't cry. Why then is my face wet with tears? 


	7. The Happy Ending Slightly more graphic ...

TITLE: Night Watch  
  
AUTHOR: Brit  
  
STATUS:  
  
RATING: NC17  
  
PAIRING: Harper/Tyr  
  
SUMMARY: Chapter 6b The Happy Ending – Warning explicit sex – the ending that some readers have requested.  
  
SPOILERS: None that I know of.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda or any of her characters mentioned in this story. If I did own these two guys I would have a permanent very big grin on my face.  
  
That boy is impossible; he was told that Dylan wanted to leave the Drift as quickly as possible. He insisted on going alone to pick up engineering supplies, muttering something about a contact that would only deal with him.  
  
I've tried to speak to him, he avoids me, and he spends all his time locked in the machine shop or in the engine room. He hardly eats or sleeps. I can see by the way the others look at me that they blame me for his condition. Each of them in turn has told me to sort the problem out. I don't think they know what exactly the problem is, except for Rommie of course. She has known everything from the beginning, Harper may be a genius but even he can't block knowledge from a sentient ship.  
  
Beka is outwardly furious when he fails to return. However, I can see the underlying worry in her face and hear it in her voice. Dylan will not leave without one of his crewmembers that is an attitude that he will pay dearly for one day, although in this case I agree with him.  
  
Trance came rushing into the command deck to tell us that Harper's belongings were missing; she had a flexi that he'd left for her. He hadn't recorded much, just how sorry he was to let everyone down and a request not to look for him. Of course look for him is exactly what we did.  
  
It was fate that I should be the one to find him. He was in a filthy alley being attacked by Nightsiders. He was putting up a valiant fight. The bodies of two of the aliens lay on the alley floor but he was being attacked by two more.  
  
They had got in a few hits of their own; the left side of his shirt was drenched in blood. The look on Harper's face when he saw me will stay in my memory for the rest of my life.  
  
I grasped the Nightsiders from behind, one in each hand. With a swift movement I snapped their necks and threw their twitching bodies to the ground. That is how I deal with vermin.  
  
Harper swayed in front of me, unsteady on his feet but still alive. He looked up at me, a shadow of his usual insolent grin curving his lips. "What took you so long," he said, before the colour drained from his face and his eyes closed. I managed to catch him before he fell.  
  
I cradled him in my arms and ran for the Andromeda. "I am sorry boy," I said. I doubted that he could hear me. As soon as we were on board I shouted for Trance to get to the medical bay. She worked on the unconscious boy for a few minutes then looked up at me and smiled. "He'll be fine Tyr, he's got a couple of nasty gashes and has lost a little blood but nothing life threatening."  
  
I was sitting on my bed reading when he came to my quarters. I had half hoped; half feared that he would do so. He walked in hesitantly and stood in front of me.  
  
"Tyr, we have to resolve this," he said. "You must know by now that I want you desperately but I will understand if you don't feel the same way about me. It's very likely that the thought of sex with another man, especially with me repels you, if that is the case then we can forget this conversation ever happened."  
  
I gave Harper a tentative half smile. "I have never been with another man, but when I kissed you I have to admit that I felt intense desire for you along with a curiosity to experience more."  
  
"Will you trust me," he said softly? I nodded my agreement. He walked over to me and kissed me passionately, searching for my tongue with his. I responded tasting the sweetness of his mouth. He broke away smiling at my reaction.  
  
He produced a scarf. "Now I am going to blindfold you." After a moments hesitation I told him to go ahead. He fixed the scarf over my eyes. "Right," he said, "I am going to be your teacher. There are two rules; firstly you can stop me at any time if you don't want to go any further. Secondly you are not allowed to touch me, not at all. Just experience and hopefully enjoy."  
  
"Boy," I started to say but he stopped me.  
  
"Just thought of a third rule," he sniggered, "don't call me boy, I'm not a boy, I'm a man as you will soon find out."  
  
He undressed me slowly, caressing every part of my body. I was erect before he finished removing my clothes. He did things to me with his mouth, tongue and hands that I have never experienced before. Twice I came to a shuddering, screaming climax and still he managed to make me hard again. I am sure that the rest of the crew could hear my cries but I didn't care.  
  
He was the most skilful lover I have ever had. He brought me to the edge once more then stopped. "OK, first lesson over, it's your turn now let's see how much you've learned." He took the blindfold off; he was standing at the side of the bed. I had never seen him naked before, in fact I don't think I have ever seen him without his shirt on. His body was a surprise to me. He was slightly built but not puny. His left arm and shoulder were bandaged and his body showed the purplish black marks of bruising from the fight. His skin was pale and he had scars that could only have been caused by magog claws but that just added to his beauty. I was surprised that he was so well endowed. I had never seen another man's erection before; he was magnificent. He saw me looking at him and actually blushed.  
  
I pulled him to me. I took him in my mouth, relishing the hardness and taste of him. I proceeded to put into practice all he had taught me. I believe that I proved to be an apt pupil, if his cries and moans were anything to go by. We spent most of that night learning each other's bodies, giving each other pleasure. I didn't want the night to end but I knew deep inside me that this was just the first of many nights.  
  
We were finally satiated, he was exhausted, I had forgotten in my eagerness that he was only human and that he'd been injured earlier that day. I held him in my arms, his breathing deepened and his eyes started to close in sleep. He smiled at me, "I love you Tyr," he said drowsily.  
  
"I love you too Seamus," I replied. I had never said those words to anyone before; I had never called him by his first name before. I knew that I would be doing both many more times.  
  
He sighed contentedly and fell into a deep peaceful sleep. I was happy just to lie and watch him. He looked so young, all the worry and pain of the past few weeks had left his face.  
  
I have only cried once before in my life, those tears were for sorrow, the tears I shed that night were for joy. 


End file.
